


The Liar's Lie

by love_in_the_stars



Series: Tales of Gay [1]
Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alvin doesn't know what to do with these sticky feelings, Brief mentions of child abuse, Derrick Mathis' A+ parenting, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-06
Updated: 2015-10-06
Packaged: 2018-04-25 01:50:26
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,407
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4942030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/love_in_the_stars/pseuds/love_in_the_stars
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Alvin follows Jude and Milla to Leronde and watches from afar.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Liar's Lie

**Author's Note:**

> Just a small look into what Alvin might have been up to as Jude and Milla were struggling to get her put back together.

"What are you doing?" Alvin muttered to himself, keeping a fair distance from the two he was following. "First you betray them, then you ditch them when they need you and now you're stalking them like a creep. Way to go, Alvin."

He paused as they did, Jude taking a moment to adjust the much taller woman he was carrying. After a minute of them conversing about something he couldn't hear at this distance, they continued on. Still moving carefully, Alvin followed.

He'd never intended for things to get so far outside of his control but the way Jude had looked at him when Alvin said they were on their own stayed with him. Guilt was eating at him for once. He blamed that damned kid. Maxwell obviously couldn't care less but the way Jude had looked so upset actually had Alvin feeling like the ass he was.

His only orders had been to keep an eye on Maxwell's movements and now that she was essentially useless, the Chimeriad no longer cared what she got up to unless it could lead them to the Key. And that didn't look to be happening anytime soon. Alvin had never meant to let the kid grow on him so much but it was hard not to. Jude was a genuinely good person; such a do-gooder that it was hard to believe he was even real. He'd never believed anyone could be so pure at heart.

Of course, there was also the fact that Jude was the son of Derrick Mathis; a stern and rather callous doctor Alvin remembered from Elympios' Overworld Reactor Plan group. How a kid so kind came from the man Alvin could recall was beyond him but he was curious. Perhaps the man had changed since being stuck on this world.

He told himself this curiosity was the reason why he was following them to the kid's hometown and most certainly not his guilt. After all, lying was his specialty, even to himself.

Once they reached the town, he stopped at the seahaven, not wanting to draw attention to himself by showing up right behind them. Instead he kicked around the shops, waiting for night to fall so he could sneak in a bit more quietly. Small towns like this were much harder to look natural in, even for his ability to act casual. The wait did not treat him well. Alvin found himself spending the time replaying the look of hurt disappointment on Jude's face when he bailed on the kid.

He really didn't like these feelings he kept having.

Finally, Alvin deemed it safe enough to hunt down the inn on the main street, keeping his distance from the clinic. The proprietor of the inn was a feisty woman but she didn't seem to care why he was in town, more concerned with bossing her husband around. He ordered a light dinner from the gentle ox of a man then eavesdropped on the group of men hanging around the bar. They appeared to be gossiping about Jude and the mysterious woman he'd brought home.

Their theories were amusing and outlandish but still a mile away from the truth.

He was about to give up on hearing anything useful when one of the men, more boy than man, made a comment about something he'd overheard at the clinic.

"I heard Jude and Leia talking about using an experimental treatment his father once used on the lady."

"Why isn't Doctor Mathis doing it?"

"Apparently he says it's impossible. The last person couldn't handle the pain of the treatment and opted to remain paralyzed."

"Wow, and Jude is gonna try anyway?"

"I guess so. But I also heard there is something they need from the mine first. That's why neither of them are here right now. All three of them left this afternoon and haven't come back yet."

What? They left Leronde?

Damn it.

Alvin gave them a minute longer but when it became obvious that the conversation had switched course and wasn't coming back, he finally retreated to his room.

Well, if Jude was attempting to heal Milla through some obscure medical method created by Derrick then it was probably Elympian in origin. Which meant it likely required a spirit fossil. That's the only reason they would need to go to a mine.

Either way, they would have to return to Leronde after. Alvin was just going to have to lay low until they did.

Sheesh. The kid was certainly going on a limb for Maxwell, though he supposed he shouldn't be so surprised.

It seemed like Jude would do anything for a friend. It made Alvin wonder if the kid could forgive even a turncoat like him.

That was a dangerous thought and rather than dwell on it, he just went to bed. There was nothing more he could do until morning anyway.

He slept fitfully but that was nothing new and when the sun finally rose he was ready for it. He gathered his things and left without any fuss, heading for the Voltea Forest border to hide and keep an eye out for the other's return. Fortunately he didn't have to wait long, for soon Jude was pushing Milla down the path in a wheelchair with another girl following. That must be Leia, the old friend.

Looks like it didn't work, whatever they'd tried. That was good for Alvin, not so much for Jude. Poor kid.

He followed them back towards the clinic, figuring he'd scoot around the back once they got inside. But they didn't make it that far before the kid's mother was running out to meet them, looking so relieved it was obvious Jude hadn't given her a heads up he was leaving. That didn't seem like something he'd do but then Derrick was running up and he did not look pleased.

What happened next shocked Alvin so much he nearly gave himself away in his anger.

Derrick was shouting still and when Jude tried to talk back, the man raised his hand again but before Alvin could rush over there and smash his face in for daring to strike the boy twice, Milla was standing in the way. She shut the older man right down but they were quick to get her back in the chair before she could falter. Derrick swept off after ordering them back to the clinic but Jude was refusing to meet any of the other's eyes even as he led them once more down the street.

Personally, Alvin was seething. Seeing Doctor Mathis slap his son like that reminded him all too strongly of his uncle's cruelty. He'd never pegged the other man as physically abusive even though his attitude was abrasive but apparently he was wrong there. No wonder Jude had a tendency to tense whenever Alvin tried to touch him. With a father like that how was the kid so kind?

It baffled him, to be honest.

Well, regardless, he'd seen what he had come here to find out. Maxwell was back on her feet which meant the Chimeriad will likely want her watched. With one last look at the closing doors of the clinic, Alvin turned away to head for the seahaven.

It was time to make his report.

\---

It took three weeks for their intrepid group to come together again with a new member.

The look on Derrick's face when Alvin draped himself over his son's shoulders had been rather satisfying; in a petty way. Honesty, forbidding your kid to make his own choices in life was hardly the way to help him grow up. But then, what would Alvin know about raising kids?

For now his orders were to keep Elise unharmed until they could swipe her booster for its memory bank and find out where Maxwell was hiding the Key. Easy enough this time, his Exodus orders weren't interfering with his Chimeriad job.

Still...he didn't feel any less guilty. Jude had seemed so pleased to have him back even after being burned once already and Alvin just couldn't fathom it. Well, if the kid wanted to forget how Alvin had dropped them like a hot potato when it was convenient for him then that was Jude's problem.

Alvin will continue to do what he had to; regardless of what it meant for the others. He still had one person counting on him, even if she didn't know it.


End file.
